San Giorgio Maggiore Orientale Lighthouse
by grandmaR
Lighthouses are my favorite things about a lot of places, and Venice is no exception.
This is supposed to be an active lighthouse, although the light is only up about 33 feet. It is an octagonal tower with a gallery which is made from white stone and is unpainted. It is on San Giorgio Maggiore island across the Grand Canal from St. Mark's Square. A breakwater protects the marina on the north, and the lighthouse is western of two identical towers at the ends of the breakwater. I don't know if the east tower has been used as a lighthouse.
The rest of these pictures were taken from St. Mark's Bell Tower and from various boats/water buses.
Do a pub crawl. We followed...
by Paladin857
Do a pub crawl. We followed the one outlined by Rick Steves. It was an experience we will never forget. We ate and drank our way in the Venician night, along the way making friends with others who followed the same route and talking to locals. We ended an magnificent evening by sharing a gondola ride and wine with some of our new friends.
The Scuola Grande di S. Giovanni Evangelista
by Aggeliki
Built at the end of the fourteenth century, this building is instantly eye-catching because of the large front entrance, which opens into a small courtyard. The construction is a mix of styles from the fourteenth to the late-fifteenth century. Renovated in the seventeenth century, the hall of San Giovanni was built at that time, as was the monumental, splendid staircase and the Oratory of the Cross, which is next door. Nowadays, this is mostly used as a concert hall and can only be visited with a guide on Sundays and Mondays.
If you need medical treatment
by Trekki
Now apart from the fact that the hospital’s southern entrance portal is a sight of its own, the main hospital of Venezia – L’Ospedale Civile – is the best option in case you need medical assistance. During my wanderings through the city of course I wanted to see how medical system “works” here, in a city on water.
Their emergency admission (somehow pronto soccorso - first aid) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and helps with everything. The hospital is surrounded by water at two sides, and the location directly at the (northern) Canale delle Fondamenta Nuove makes it very easy to set out quickly with ambulance boats in case they are called. They have all kinds of different ambulance boats on Rio dei Medicanti (the name already signifies that the hospital is located here since ages) and I always thought/think how very much skillful Veneziano medicians must be to perform all kinds of first aid work on a swaying ship.
Oh, for fans of Commissario Brunetti: of course this is the hospital of books and movies, and whre the autopsies are performed :-)
Ospedale Civile is in Castello 6777, at campo SS Giovanni e Paolo.
Phone number: 041 – 52 94 111 or through the general emergency number 0041 – 5230 000 (always dial the city code, even if you are calling from a phone in the city).
Other hospitals are on Lido and in Mestre. If you only need medical supplies – there are pharmacies – farmacia – all over the city. They are signified by a green cross. Usually, pharmacies are open during the typical business hours with a longer lunch break. In case you need one during a weekend or evening – there are signs in the windows about which one close by would be open.
Bring prescriptions in case you need to get supply of important ones. It could be wise to have them translated back home into Italian, or at least have the active ingredient written on them somewhere.
It is easy to find Murano...
by eitakorlando
It is easy to find Murano glass because it is sold everywhere. In one store, I made the mistake of picking up a figurine and the sales person started yelling at me. I left embarrassed and annoyed. I am careful, but don't touch anything.